In view of the increasing number of reports on the use of chemical weapons on Syrian territory and calls on the international community and US President Barack Obama to intervene, Syrian opposition envoy in the US, Prof. Najib Ghabdian, in response to a question by "Globes", sent a conciliatory message to Israel, at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles.
Ghabdian said that, after the great damage that Hizbullah caused Syria and the arms that Iran is transferring to Syrian President Bashar Assad, the most hated country in Syria was not Israel or the US, but Iran.
Ghabdian was born in a Damascus suburb, completed his doctorate in New York, and is now a professor of political science at the University of Arkansas. He is considered one of the leaders of the Syrian opposition coalition.
Ghabdian gave a presentation about the latest situation in Syria before an audience that included top US administration officials, world leaders, and leading businessmen, and called on Obama to lead a fast and determined intervention in Syria, including the arming of opposition forces and acting forcibly against the Assad regime, after it crossed the red line by the repeated use of chemical weapons against the country's people.
On Israel, Ghabdian said, "We want nothing from Israel at the moment. Israel is in a difficult position, and we understand this. On one hand, it is worried about the collapse of one of its neighbors, the danger from extremist forces, and the one million refugees resulting from Assad's policies. On the other hand, there is occupied territory in northern Israel, which is called the Golan Heights, and this is a matter that should be resolved between the two countries."
Ghabdian added that an elected government would have deal with this, but that most of the work had already been done. He said that the opposition was determined to deal with the matter through peaceful means, but that the priority was to rebuild a functioning country, society, and an independent and democratic Syrian identity.
The conflict with Israel was not a priority of the opposition, Ghabdian said, adding that it wanted a productive society that was good for the region and Syria's neighbors. Territorial conflicts, he said, would be solved through peaceful means, and the new Syria will not be a threat to its neighbors. He concluded by saying that it was in the interest of the international community to strengthen the Syrian opposition, because a failed state in the Middle East was a threat to the region, including Israel.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 1, 2013
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2013